The book fell flat to me, I found myself skimming along more than once.
The plot was super unoriginal and bland, I had a sense of deja vu throughout.
The characters, both main and side, didn't help either. They were extremely one dimensional and their interactions with one another felt forced and awkward.
The romance storyline didn't have any appeal, the masked appointments made me feel super awkward. I get that the purpose was to indicate how their connection is there, even when they don't the true identity of each other. However, that doesn't mean that they cheated, even in concept only.
The whole thing wasn't really a success to me.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This book didn't work for me. I did not feel any chemistry between the characters. There seemed to be a lot of reptation in the beginning. I did like the medical side to the story. It is something you don't find a lot of in historical romance books.

Mary Lancaster is a master at creating stories that draw you right in to the world she creates, I never want her stories to end. This is the first book in her “Pleasure Gardens” series where a new bride is left behind and her plan for retribution is perfectly wicked. Can the Earl of Wenning win back his bride or will these two never get their happily ever after? This book is very well written and each character is well developed. I enjoyed watching Oliver leave his ambitions behind and work to woo his wife to regain her trust, love, and devotion. As usual in second chance stories there were times I wanted to beat these characters over the head, lock them in a room together, and not let them out until they actually learned to communicate with each other!

Overall I enjoyed this story and can’t wait to jump into the next book of the series 📚

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🦄I received a review copy of this book from Dragonblade Publishing. All opinions and comments are my own. 🦄

I just love Mary Lancaster! I am never disappointed with her books. This story includes an abandoned wife, an indifferent husband and a game of revenge perpetrated between them. Definite must read!
Thank you Mary Lancaster, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

This one was only ok for me. I enjoyed the characters and the story but something was missing overall. I'll still be checking out more books from Mary Lancaster but this one just didn't win me over.

Unmasking the Hero (Pleasure Garden #1). By Mary Lancaster. 2021. Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (ARC eBook).

Unmasking the Hero is the first book in the Pleasure Garden series and the first book I’ve read by Lancaster. Overall I found the story flows well and the characters are enjoyable. There is a bit of mystery involved as estranged spouses, Oliver and Grace try to figure out who was responsible for keeping them apart for the last two years and who apparently are keen on doing so now that Oliver has returned home from an expedition. I’m interested in seeing where this series goes and giving other series a go!

Fabulous story that held me from beginning to end. Excellent writing and the characters draw you in. A must read!!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After an enjoyable wedding night, Grace, the new Countess of Wenning, expected her life to be perfect. In love with her husband, she was heartbroken to wake up and discover he had left, for China, with a curt note and no word in the last 2 years. After facing the ton and all of their ridicule, she had created walls around herself, and courted a following of rakes and rogues, to act as if Oliver's abandonment didn't affect her. But he's on his way home, and following a drunken wager in which she ends up losing his wedding gift, she has to return to the infamous Maida Pleasure Gardens, where she meets the handsome and mysterious Rudolf. With her feelings for Oliver being all over the place, and the fact that Rudolf seems to understand just how she is feeling, will Grace be able to discover why Oliver left, or will he and her be at risk of losing more than just their marriage?

I forgot I'd had this book on my kindle until the second one was available on NetGalley. I'm somewhat glad I waited a little for this book, because after reading it, and getting to know the characters and the location of Maida Pleasure Gardens, I can't wait to read more. Grace and Oliver were a decent couple, and both loved the other before their marriage. When Oliver discovered a letter supposedly written by Grace to a past lover, claiming she hated that she was forced to marry Oliver, he was heartbroken, and fled the country. Everyone treated Grace as if she had done something wrong, and she only had a handful of people she could truly trust - or thought she could at least. When Oliver returns, and she meets Rudolf, she starts to fall just as hard as she had two years ago, but someone is trying to keep them apart - even going so far as to nearly kill them at Maida. I liked the mystery around who wanted to keep them apart, and why, but one of my main bugbears with this book was just how little communication happened. Honestly, if Oliver had asked Grace about the letter, everything could've been sorted immediately, and even when he returned, it was weeks, if not months, until they actually sat down and spoke about it all, rather than tiptoeing around each other. I did like them as a couple though, and the ending was extremely enjoyable. Knowing book 2 will be about a character we met in this book, I can't wait to start it, and hope we might see more of Grace and Oliver, hopefully living happily ever after once and for all!

Loved this book! The heroine was strong and likeable after dealing with betrayal. The hero was truly repentant and eager to atone. They communicated clearly and pulled together to solve the mystery.

Romance, Mystery, and Intrigue

What is said can never be unsaid, and what is done can never be undone. Yet, there is always hope, and there is often redemption. Can what has been said and done be forgiven? Oliver left Grace for two years after her wedding night, without an explanation. Now, he was back from his mission to China. Could she give him a second chance?

Why did Oliver leave in the first place, and who is sabotaging the couple? Are they a danger to themselves, or is someone working against them? This story grabbed me from the prologue and would not let go until the very last page. There is romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, and scandal. So much misery could have been avoided had love and commonsense won against pride. Whoever said that “pride made a cold bedfellow” did not lie.

I very much enjoyed this lighted-hearted read. I enjoyed the heroine and found her to be a fun spirited. Looking forward to read more by this author (who was new to me). Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed the book. Its a light read. Very delicately written. Grace is projected as a very head strong girl, of those times, which is refreshing. For normally, the female lead is usually wallowing in her sorrows, which is not the case here. The hero is also shown in good light. The plot is not very thick. The mystery/ scheming was pretty straight forward. Had there been an unexpected twist to the outcome of the scheming, then the story would been much more exciting.

Unmasking the Hero by Mary Lancaster is a romance between husband and wife. Granted, that husband had taken off in the middle of their wedding night to be gone for two years, with not explanation. It turns out he had accidentally read a letter, purportedly from his new wife, that indicated she had been/was involved with another man and his heart was broken. Sadly, he was too young to address the issue head on and so it had been two years of heartbreak for both of them. he spent his time as an envoy to China, very successfully, and she spent hers as the darling of the ton, entertaining many men but never crossing over into ruin. Now it was time for him to return home: she had read it in the newspaper, and she didn't know quite how to behave, so she kept behaving as she had been. Then there was this dratted wager with Sir Nash Booth that she would see him at Maida Pleasure Gardens, a place like Vauxhall but past its prime. She had wagered the bracelet given her by Oliver upon their wedding two years ago. Now Grace wondered what she had been thinking, but was convincing Bridget and her husband to accompany her so she would not be put at risk. It was a constant masquerade at Maida and while there she met, and kissed, the most enticing man. Her first kiss since their wedding night.

This was a complicated story/mystery, which would ultimately answer the question of why Oliver left in the first place. He had loved her and she had loved him. They had both been young and had not handled things well, but someone had their hand in it. But, who? This was an intriguing story of rebuilding love as well as tooting out the culprit and rebuilding other relationships. People had taken sides without knowing what had happened, as people do, and it had gotten uncomfortable, for everyone. Oliver had matured and proven his worth. Grace had matured and learned to navigate society. It was all very civil until they saw one another again, and the question was: who would speak up first? Mary Lancaster has done it again!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Unmasking the Hero by Dragonblade through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dragonblade #unmaskingthehero

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book took a while for me to get into and while it ended up being okay, it didn't feel exceptional.
Wenning left his wife the morning after they got married and were supposed to go on their wedding trip to go to China instead.
Grace makes the best out her situation and surrounds herself with a fast crowd and admirers.
When Wenning returns they must figure out how to move forward
Wenning pissed me off because he just left with having what would have been a simple conversation which it is at the end 2 years later.
Both characters felt one dimensional and even by the end I did really care about them.

DNF

Okay. there was nothing wrong with this book it just wasn't for me. I'm going to blame it on the fact that I'm newer to the historical genre and need to get used to it. I requested this one because I thought it sounded fun and interesting--which I've heard it is--but I just couldn't stay focused with it.

So, sadly I just had to DNF. I think if you love historical fiction, then this is for you because what I did read was well written, it was just hard for me to stay in the story.

I always read Mary Lancaster books when they come out. This one held my attention so much, I sat down and read it all the way through without stopping.
Oliver, Earl of Wenning read a letter that caused him to flee to China on a diplomatic mission for two years. He left on his wedding night without saying anything to his new bride.
Lady Grace Wenning spent the next two years wondering what had caused her husband to flee and putting on a brave face to the ton.
The secondary characters are just as interesting as the main characters, and we see them throughout the book.
Mary Lancaster has given some interesting twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Wonderful story!

London 1817

It had been two years since he had disappeared the morning after their wedding night and she did everything she could stay amused, or she would die of boredom. She had many admirers, but she still waited for her husband to return.

A bet had her attending a masquerade ball at a somewhat scandalous place. Then she met him. Who he was she had no idea!

A second chance story that was filled with humor, intrigue and a journey to find love that had only been ... misplaced!! A new series that I cannot wait to read more!

I recently discovered the delightful romances by Mary Lancaster. You absolutely will not want to put down Unmasking the Hero until you have finished it. Just when you believe you are near the end; another surprise pulls you into to Oliver and Grace’s journey to their HEA. Ms. Lancaster weaves this second chance romance with intrigue, jealousy, mistrust and love. You will admire Grace’s determination to not allow society to see her pain and embarrassment at having been abandoned the day following her wedding. Oliver, who seems to have needed a bit of maturity, ‘spies’ on his own wife to find out if what he is being told was occurring did in fact occur during the two years he was gone.

I loved Grace! She truly is an independently strong and caring woman. She grew up during her husband’s two-year absence. Her calm demeanor is a testament to how much she has grown. Oliver on the other hand seems to only add to the confusion caused by his return. He, too, grew during his absence; he seems to have learned from his previous mistakes.

Read this light-hearted look at how special love can be, how loyal a couple can be and how they find their way back to each other.

As always, reliably great writing from Mary Lancaster. really enjoyed this one.
Oliver, Duke of Wenning is happily thinking he was glad he had rejected a position with the diplomatic corps to China, in favour of marrying his beautiful wife on his wedding night. he then finds a piece of incriminating evidence and leaves her to join the 2 year mission to China.

Grace, 19 when married, and bewildered by Oliver's behaviour has to weather the storm of the scandal. Two years later she has grown up, capably managing the estate responsibilities in her husbands absence, and has also become a slightly fast young woman, flirting on the cusp of scandal, defying the tabbies of the ton, and keeping the rakes and cads at a safe-ish distance.

When she hears he is returning, she is determined to continue on with her life, and keep Oliver at a distance. Oliver, not sure what he is expecting to find, but feeling guilty about his abrupt departure and lack of communication ever since, is not sure what he is coming back to either.

He arrives earlier than advertised and takes the opportunity to spy on his wife. When she gets into hot water with a more ardent than expected admirer, she is rescued by a handsome stranger at Maida Pleasure Gardens. She is attracted to him, but also has to admit to herself she still has feelings for her husband.

When Oliver officially re-appears, he is adeptly kept at a distance by the proud and impressively stoic Grace, but when the plot thickens, and someone seems to be trying to kill one or both of them, Oliver and Grace need to work together to solve the mystery and resolve their issues.

I loved Grace's strength, and the admirable way she rose above her circumstances, I also was very happy to see that she held her own against Oliver when he came back. I'm not a fan of the hidden identity plot device, but t was handled well in this story. Oliver was a bit of an idiot to start with, and managed to keep compounding his errors, with the lack of communication, and pretending he is a stranger to his wife, but it made for an exciting story and a passionate romance. The side characters were also interesting and well fleshed out, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.

Oliver, Earl of Wenning, abandoned Grace, his bride, after their wedding night upon finding evidence that her heart belonged to another. Two years later, his diplomatic mission complete, he returns to London and takes on a secret identity to discover whether she can be wooed back to him. Still furious, she wants nothing to do with her wayward husband. But before long, it becomes clear that someone wants to destroy them both. Can they work together to find the culprit before it's too late?

Mary Lancaster has a flair for creating well-drawn characters and intriguing plots to engage the reader and propel the story forward. That's certainly true in this book. Both Oliver and Grace are likable, and Oliver takes responsibility for his rash behavior. This novel is a strong start to a new series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.